Aldea | |
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![]() Kitchen at Aldea as viewed from the dining room | |
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Restaurant information | |
Established | April 2009 |
Closed | February 22, 2020 |
Food type | Portuguese |
Street address | 31 West 17th Street |
City | New York City |
State | New York |
Postal/ZIP Code | 10011 |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 40°44′19.5″N73°59′37.8″W / 40.738750°N 73.993833°W |
Aldea was a restaurant in the Flatiron District of Manhattan in New York City. [1] The fine dining establishment opened in 2009 and closed in 2020.
The restaurant occupied two stories and had an open kitchen [2] so that diners could observe the preparation of food. [3] It was decorated in a minimalist style with birch trees in its interior. [4] Adam Platt of New York described the interior in 2009 as a "double-height, blond-wood-paneled space is set with chairs covered in plush white and blue leather, and a façade of white-striped glass filters the view of the outside world. The room is luminously lit and partitioned with sheets of more glass, which make it feel intimate and also worldly". [3]
The restaurant served an eight-course tasting menu and a small à la carte menu. [5] It was noted for combining elaborately presented dishes with more rustic, filling dishes. [2] [4] The restaurant's arroz de pato was often singled out as one of its best dishes. [6] [3] Mendes told Michelin Guide in 2019 that he was "a proponent of flavor versus appearance". [7]
Aldea opened in April 2009. [3] The restaurant's head chef, George Mendes, is of Portuguese heritage, and the cuisine of Portugal heavily inspired the menu. [2] Its name translates to "village" in Portuguese. [3] It received a Michelin star in 2010, which it received every year following its operation. [8]
Aldea closed after February 22, 2020, as Mendes planned to "take a break" [9] and noted the difficulty in operating a restaurant in New York City at the time. [8]